


Dead Eye

by MoSteamyBeats



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Mild Gunfire, Other, Pre-Omnic Crisis, Referenced Death, pre-Ashe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:55:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23537986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoSteamyBeats/pseuds/MoSteamyBeats
Summary: Wrote this based off of one (1) canonical factoid: Because of Jesse McCree's current age and the timing of the Omnic Crisis he would've been WAY younger than the narrative states.I wrote this before Ashe and B.O.B. were introduced."Route 66 was worse than ever. There was the building Omnic situation, sure. But Morrison seemed to have closed eyes on the mounting crisis. He was helping form some kind of agreement with Australia after another bombing from a group of supposed terrorists. Some of Gabriel's boys were assigned to the task, but Morrison seemed to personally avoid assigning Reyes as his back up. Again."
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

Route 66 was worse than ever. There was the building Omnic situation, sure. But Morrison seemed to have closed eyes on the mounting crisis. He was helping form some kind of agreement with Australia after another bombing from a group of supposed terrorists. Some of Gabriel's boys were assigned to the task, but Morrison seemed to personally avoid assigning Reyes as his back up. Again.

Gabriel sighed and leaned back in the saloon chair. It wasn't like he was actually mad Jack became Overwatch's Golden Boy. He was the favorite son, a jewel of 'The Program', and all around decent. But he, Gabriel Reyes, was getting tired of this third degree. There was a rumor that if Morrison had turned down the position, it would've gone to Reyes, but hell. Gabriel may have been qualified for the Big Boy spot, but his attitude and lackluster modelling skills meant he'd never make a good poster boy. Too good at what he did to be pulled from it. So no, he wasn't mad at all.

He didn't even glance over when some young man sat down beside him at a small dining table in the center of the bar. A waitress- sweet gal a little older than Reyes himself- came over and asked the newcomer if he'd have anything. Reyes' guest appeared hesitant and seemed ready to flee at any given moment.

"Order anything." Gabriel told the stranger, and leaned forward, placing all four legs of his seat back onto the ground. "Don't mind the price." The young man seemed to visibly relax as he ordered a rum and water. The waitress gave him a cutesy customer service smile before leaving them in private. Once alone, Reyes wasted no time. "Deadlock. Names are good. Location is better."

"Jesus! Do you have to say it so loud? They got scouts everywhere." He leaned forward and put his arms on the table, his head went to slouch between his shoulders. Even though the place was crawling with Reyes' men, his informant was still nervous. Gabriel placed his arm across the young man's shoulders, effectively blocking the vital point on the back of the neck to any would-be snipers. And also to comfort. Mostly. 

"Like you." The man's eyes shot up to Reyes, wild with fear. Gabriel matched his gaze with a cold, almost lazy, look on his face. "I do my research, kid. I know you're Saw Tooth." The fear seemed to amplify, but in a split second of hearing his name, his lips had reflexively pulled back into a side grin and revealed his marking characteristic- his abnormally long, sawed to a point, teeth. But it was only a reflex. The grin was quickly replaced with frantic hysteria. He almost started to cry.

"You won't turn me in, too...? Wi..will you..?" He managed to stammer out. Reyes lifted an eyebrow and seemed to be regarding Saw Tooth, as if he were measuring how much money this particular DeadLock member was worth. The look was as cold as some of the higher ups of the gang he was sent to destroy, but without any of the sadistic joy of seeing someone struggle. It was just cold and unforgiving, and it made Saw Tooth wonder if he had made a terrible mistake.

"...I can offer you a chance." Reyes finally said. "You'll get prison time, sure. But the most they'll want is a life sentence from the DeadLock who flipped. They won't want your blood." And with this, it was Gabriel's turn to grin, and Saw Tooth almost felt like he was being consumed. It was worse than anything he had seen of a gang member. This would be the last time Saw Tooth ever trusted anything called a 'hero' ever again. 

Saw Tooth opened his mouth to speak when two gun shots shot down the saloon door. A third sent a body through the open gap. Reyes was on his feet immediately. He pushed Saw Tooth to the ground and pulled the saloon table in front of the DeadLock spy. Reyes pulled his rifle from his belt and shot, striking a fourth bullet from the sky. The waitress suddenly ran towards the open door. She lifted a sniper rifle to her eyes and shot twice more, the interrupting sound of two weapons being fired close together. The waitress suddenly swore.

"Amari." Reyes lowered his rifle when his fellow agent lowered her's. She looked back towards him, a frustrated expression on her face.

"I hit the fall guy. Not the shooter. Killed another one out here. DeadLock members." She marched over and set the table back upright. "Shooter got away. They were out of bullets. Six shots." She suddenly stared down at Saw Tooth with the same dead expression Reyes gave her. "Your drink will be ready in a minute." And then she strode away with a more militant stance than before. 

Reyes leaned down and pulled Saw Tooth up and to his feet. "And that's why the big dogs were called in." Gabriel nodded to the dead member in the open doorway. "Execution style firing. Mid range, able to get in and out quickly and efficiently." He glared down at the young man and Saw Tooth felt the full-on terror of knowing when God- any God- has left your side for good. "Tell me everything you know."

\------------

"DeadLock's a lot bigger than anyone would ever admit. Hell, half of the 'unaffiliated' bandit groups around the SouthWest are DeadLock. Route 66 is just the main vein..." Saw Tooth admitted, as he sipped his drink. They had moved to a closed room in the basement of the saloon. The only three down here were Saw Tooth, Reyes, and Amari. She sat by the door, her waitress disguise abandoned, and her actual work clothes adorned. 

"And even the main vein has 'arteries'." Gabriel observed. Saw Tooth felt the sweat start to break on his forehead. "We've already located four different sectors, but anytime we start closing in on a branch they move." He made a motion to the gang member. "No one's getting any younger here." Saw Tooth's hand began to shake.

"We ain't always been this way...." He suddenly drawled, "Ain't always been...but..some years ago, Ol' DeadLock hisself and few of us were hitting travelers. I had a bad case of fever and wasn't there myself...but from what I heard, only DeadLock and few guys survived. He left with twelve of our best people. We lost nine guys, and I heard...I heard four came back." He suddenly stopped, as if he had swallowed a bee.

"Maybe my math is off..." Gabriel started off, but Saw Tooth was muttering now. Reyes squinted. No, not muttering. He was soundlessly trying to say something, as if someone were choking him.

"DeadLock came back..with...with one of the travelers. The guy he came back with.. killed Snake Eyes." Saw Tooth started to whimper miserably. "Sn-Snake Eyes..the guy who was supposed to take over..I knew him..God..." Reyes watched this pitiful display. Amari stepped forward and looked like she was going to smack Saw Tooth. She had no patience for men like him. 

"Hypocrite." She said, through gritted teeth before turning back to the door. Gabriel couldn't echo her sentiment, no matter if he felt that way or not. Saw Tooth seemed to compose himself, finally. He hadn't stopped crying, but seemed to have steeled himself from his oncoming panic.

"He'd...he'd said that this new guy would be takin' Snake Eyes place, but none of us would meet 'em til he was ready. DeadLock always kept secrets, but this was real weird. We asked him 'how we gonna follow this guy if we don't know him? How're we supposed to trust a guy who killed Snake Eyes?' And he just..." Saw Tooth took a bigger draw from his glass. "He just said...'All you lot need to know is his name...and his name is Dead Eye.' "

"Dead Eye...?" Gabriel repeated. Two years, and he had never heard the name once. He knew about Snake Eyes' death when there was a raid south of 66 in that time. Everyone in his sector had heard about it. They assumed that whatever gun had done him in was long dead and deserved a medal. Or several. "Must be one hell of a secret." He acknowledged, and Saw Tooth started nodding like a bobble head on a dashboard.

"Shit, man! After that, 'Lock had us split up into three groups, only him and the guys at that shoot-out stay in the main.! No one outside the vein, or whatever, is allowed to talk about Dead Eye. Not to each other, or anyone!" He started to shake uncontrollably, "Dead Eye'll find me..I don't know nothin' bout him but he knows everythin that Lock knows. He takes out the loose ends and ain't never far from Lock...." Saw Tooth suddenly jumped up. Both Reyes and Amari twitched towards their weapons.

"Don't do anything stupid..." Amari warned, but Saw Tooth was already backing away from them.

"Oh no...if that..if that was Dead Eye..." The color started to drain from his face. He began to look around like the walls themselves would grow spikes. Amari grabbed the holster of her rifle. 

"Saw Tooth!" Reyes suddenly barked, and the gang member froze. But it wasn't just Reyes' voice that frightened him. Outside, a church bell began to chime, marking the time with every swing. Both Amari and Reyes could feel his tension rise with every crash of the brass bell. Gabriel stepped toward Saw Tooth and took his shoulder. He was so frozen in place his shoulder didn't even twitch. Reyes gently, but firmly, took Saw Tooth's arms and placed them at his back, locking the handcuffs into place.

"It's Dead Eyes' bell..." Saw Tooth whispered. "Deadlock...." Gabriel and Amari heard gun fire ahead. She flew from the basement. Gabriel ran towards the door and motioned for Saw Tooth to get down. But he stood there, locked in his fear and in wonderment. Reyes did not have a vantage point from the door, it was at the immediate end of a flight of stairs. He sat with his rifle ready as the gunfire trickled down and stopped. Footsteps approached.

"Non threats." Amari reported, her voice as hollow as a bullet casing. Reyes sighed and re-holstered his gun. "Five guys. They're under the impression that a rival gang is hunting DeadLock."

"Good. That's where we want 'em. How many on our side?" Reyes strode quickly over to Saw Tooth and forced him back into his seat. Amari retook her seat.

"...two. Our lookouts up top. The new ones." Amari leaned her back against the wall and Gabriel sighed. That would fall under his record again. Any death of his sector marked against him even if there was nothing he could do about it. "I think we've gotten all we can from Saw Tooth." 

Gabriel looked over and had to concede on that. Although no where near this gun fight, Saw Tooth's face was slack; his eyes were glassy and wide. A complete 180 from the emotional panicking mess they had been dealing with all day. This level of shock had paralyzed him, and there was no telling when the spell would leave his heart. The fear of certainty of death could cast a man into hell and leave him as nothing more than a cheap imitation of what he once was. Whatever Dead Eye was, he had cast a shadow long enough that could break the heart of a drug dealing murderer.


	2. Raid

"And where's Saw Tooth now, Reyes?" Gabriel rubbed his temple. Morrison looked unsatisfied with his report, but what could he do? Jack knew very well what Gabriel's skillset was. And it wasn't reviving zombified gangsters.

"He's being brought in to custody. Off of Route 66. Being taken to the nearest Overwatch Sentry." Jack's frown deepened.

"I'm having him rerouted to the main HQ." Gabriel was furious. He couldn't talk to Saw Tooth there until his mission was complete. Pulling on the dregs of his patience, he accepted Morrison's decision. It was probably some bullshit safety technicality. "The media's all over this one, Reyes. We want DeadLock taken down. Are you sure you know where the leader is." 

"Affirmative. Saw Tooth gave us the answer before he shut down. I'm already organizing a raid." He saw Jack give a hesitant look. Something was up.

"Try and bring them into custody." Jack raised his hand before Reyes could protest, or hang up the holo call. He couldn't risk compromise from anything that could be interpreted as Reyes' protesting. Jack already knew this wasn't the original objective of Reyes being stationed to Route 66. "The people want justice for DeadLock's crimes. The end of a bullet isn't justice. A fair trial at a jury of their peers is." He said with conviction.

"Affirmative." Gabriel repeated and staunchly hung up. He turned to Amari, whose frustrated gaze met his. "He believes more and more of that bullshit every day." Reyes growled and scooped up his rifles. "'Jury of their peers.' All they want is the opportunity to see a man die." Amari said nothing as she got to her feet. "Negotiate if possible." Gabriel called to her and she gave him a look. 

"If possible." She repeated before marching out of the room. Gabriel adjusted his hat. He still couldn't believe the hypocrisy Morrison had just spewed. He had his original orders! Eliminate DeadLock sure as hell wasn't in any way 'bring the bastards in.'

\---------------------------------------------------

"Shit!" Gabriel ducked out of the line of fire as the bell began to chime. He heard the gang members cackle as they fired their revolvers. He saw his own members go to flank, ready to draw their fire and execute. "Cease and capture." Reyes ordered, in a low growl, speaking to his headset before a shot on his side could be fired. His headseat linked with every member within the building. None replied to his command, and he felt their insincerity. 

On a last minute change, the order came from Overwatch's new director, Jack Morrison. What was supposed to be an seize and eliminate mission was now a bribe and capture draw. And that was not how Reyes taught, or commanded his operatives. At least they didn't have to abandon their whole set-up as a rival 'gang' looking to take out the biggest mark of the '66.

"Rooftop secure." Amari's voice sounded into his head. "There were four members up here. Two are unconscious, one is dead, and a fourth fled into the building. I did not see them. Dead Lock is not among the group up here." 

"Copy that, Amari. Hold your position and keep an eye on things." Gabriel said to her privately as one of his members shot at the Dead Lock's weapons. "Rooftop secure. I repeat Rooftop secure." He said to the entire group. He stood and fired at the light over the gangster's head and a shower of sparks cast everyone into darkness. Gabriel moved quickly. He ran straight ahead as the hapless criminals scrambled to find a light. Using the broad side of his rifle he struck down two and lowered the barrel of his gun to a third. 

"Sit or get a new hole. Your choice." He growled out to the man who squinted to see him in the dark. A sudden laughter erupted from behind him. Oh no. Gabriel grabbed the still conscious man and jumped out of the way as a rain of bullets eviscerated the unconscious bodies in the hall.

"Dead Lock's location confirmed." He said into his headset as he bound the gangster's hand. A member of Blackwatch knelt beside him. He gave a thumbs up to Gabriel and Reyes left his man with the criminal. He was going for the top dog himself. 

Running through the building after that incredible laughter was a controlled chaos of gunfire and thrilling darkness. Gabriel's bullet's found targets in light switches, and lampheads, throwing the building into darkness. Blackwatch excelled in the dark. Every corner he blackened, every doorway he darkened meant a success for his team. But he never stopped to watch his soldiers move. 

He descended after the maniacal laughter of the ingenious leader. Further and further, until he reached the cellar door. The air hung heavy and hard over him and all warmth seemed to drain from the world. The cellar door hung wide open and there was a single light in the room. Gabriel shot the light beside him, throwing the doorway to the void. He then entered, unseen and unheard into the cellar. 

To Gabriel's surprise, the single light came from a furnace in the center of the room, and what the light illuminated was unlike anything Gabriel could've expected. There was a bed piled high with blankets and beside the bed was a messy pile wooden natives and cowboys. The toys sat on an expensive carpet, and around the furnace was chairs and couch. It was a bedroom. There were even what looked like worksheets scattered around. Gabriel inched closer, and picked up one of the papers. It was a child's drawing of two cowboys, one big and one small. The big cowboy was smiling but the little cowboy's mouth was a straight line and one of the eyes was colored--Click!--red.

Gabriel felt the barrel of a gun against his head. But no demand was made. No laughter. He turned his head to see who had gotten the drop on him. And in the moment of seeing the person who held his life at the edge of gun, all of the training Gabriel had as a covert operative seemed to vanish from him mind. Every black op, every intimidation technique, every hostile combat exercise, gone. He found himself looking eye to eye with a ten year old boy.

He could have been ten. The boy was a little lanky. He wore a ragged shirt and a cowboy hat a little too big for him. His trousers were a coarse, rough material and he was barefoot. But most striking about this little boy were his eyes. Or more like, the dissonance between them. They were the same color, same shape, and size. Completely identical round childlike eyes, sure. But each eye told two difference stories. One eye was hyper alert and took in every detail of Gabriel the same he he was taking in every detail of this boy. Observant and attentive, and with a slight, calculated distance. But the other eye was steel. Cold and lifeless. 

"Dead Eye..." Gabriel whispered and he saw the boy's shoulder twitch to attention, but his eyes never changed. He thought over the tale he heard of the infamous Dead Eye and now, face to face with the legend himself, he could almost see the events play before his eyes. A child, just a child stood before him. A child who was responsible for the death of many. A child who stood second-place as drugs were trafficked. A child who's shoulder was held more than likely by the man who had killed every, and anyone, this boy had. 

Gabriel stiffened as a laughter erupted from seemingly all around him and from behind the domestic scene, illuminated by the furnace, Dead Lock stepped forward. Gabriel felt himself glaring at the man who started and built the infamous gang that ravaged Route 66 like it was a dying animal. He walked calmly to the center of the room and placed his hands on his hips in a manner of complete trust that he was in no harm's way.

"How do ya like my little surprise?" Dead Lock drawled out, and Gabriel looked again to this frozen, blank-faced boy. "Barely seven years old and I wager hes got more tombstones to his name than you've got in this life and the previous." Gabriel glanced down to the toys scattered on the floor. The natives were more grouped together than the cowboys but most of the cowboys lay on their sides. The couch cushions were more mused up than the neat bead. Seven."-ince he was a munchkin. Ain't much bigger, sure. But what can I say? I gotta soft spot for the little-" Focus. DeadLock likes to talk but he's a master at saying nothing at all. He began to walk around the room as he spoke; knowing full well what would happen if Gabe so much as began to sweat.

He looked down to the drawing. The big cowboy, now with a live comparison, was obviously Dead Lock. And he clearly covets, or at least pretends to, this kid. This little boy who had only been defending himself. He looked at the faces and colors. One eye on the little boy was red. And maybe..maybe the line wasn't so straight after all. He looked at the little oval chest on the drawing and saw a letter colored in a light color with a darker D drawn over it. He looked back up to the little boy and slowly, deliberately, pointed at the drawing. He watched and kept mum until he saw the boy's eyes twitch. Quick as whipcord, the boy's eyes had shot to Gabe's hand, he was sure of it.

"What's your name?" Gabriel mouthed quietly, his back to Dead Lock, his movements still. The boy, for a moment, didn't seem to notice the words, then his eyebrows knotted together as if he was concentrating on something hard.

"-an, your boys took out how many of mine? Can't see nothin more fittin than my boy takin out the head of y'all." Now it was Gabriel's turn to laugh quietly, under his breath. Dead Lock stopped talking immediately. The boy's eyes went from alert to distant all of a sudden, as if struggling. Gabriel took the opportunity.

He grabbed the revolver and heard the little boy give a startled cry. Gabriel scooped up the child into his free arm and turned, taking aim at Dead Lock with the boy's gun in his hand. 

"Do yourself a goddamn favor and shut up." Gabriel barked and turned his eyes, but not the gun, to the boy in his arm. "What's your name?" The boy looked up at him again with that look of confusion and concentration.

"Leave my boy alone. He knows his name's Dead Eye. You seen him shoot yet?" Dead Lock suddenly demanded and when he spoke, a sudden change went over the boy. He tensed and became still. A certain light when out in his eyes and Gabriel watched this little boy's entire countenance fade into some inner well within his mind. "Put down my boy, or I'mma have to take offense." His tone was measured, calm. Gabriel however, felt a sudden fury rise in his chest.

"You want him, Dead Lock?" He gripped the still boy to his chest. "Come and get him." With that said, Gabriel shot the fires within the furnace and ran to the door as a flurry of angry sparks jumped into Dead Lock's path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Overwatch, any of the aforementioned tagged characters, any of the lore (such as but not limited to: DeadLock, Omnics, the Omnic Crisis, Blackwatch), or in anyway Route 66. I do have at least two friends in Australia, though. Any resemblance to real world events, peoples, or other's fictitious works is purely coincidental and you clearly have a niche that that you enjoy reading.
> 
> I'm only listing this fic as completed because I currently don't have any plans on finishing it. I have some ideas but nothing concrete.

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Overwatch, any of the aforementioned tagged characters, any of the lore (such as but not limited to: DeadLock, Omnics, the Omnic Crisis, Blackwatch), or in anyway Route 66. I do have at least two friends in Australia, though. Any resemblance to real world events, peoples, or other's fictitious works is purely coincidental and you clearly have a niche that that you enjoy reading.


End file.
